Southern Water says it has made ‘good progress’ over the weekend with work on a burst pipe that has meant the closure of the Sandwich Bypass between the roundabout near Co Part to the Monks Way roundabout (Dover bound) since before Christmas.
The firm says it hopes to have a clearer idea of options and timelines when underground imaging is completed tomorrow (January 28).
Jean-Paul Collet, Southern Water Operational Manager East, Wastewater Collections: “We are keen to keep local residents and motorists updated with progress and again sincerely apologise for the disruption in the area.
“I am pleased that this weekend we made good progress with work on the burst under the A256. We can confirm that by Sunday we were able to access the pipe deep under the carriageway, cut away a small section and gain access inside.
“To prevent leaking we had previously disconnected it from the pumping station near The Bulwark back in December when the burst first occurred, and therefore the first thing we need to deal with is residual water sitting in the pipe. After rush hour this morning (Monday 27 January) we began using tankers to empty the pipe and this is currently ongoing, as soon as it is cleared we can jet wash the inside and begin the crucial imaging that will allow us to get a better view of the damage.
“We hope that imaging will be complete by Tuesday lunchtime and we may then have a clearer idea of options available to us to rectify the issue and potential timelines.
“In addition to this, and after consultation with local residents, we are also working hard to minimise the impact tankers moving between the pumping station near The Quay Car Park and the water treatment works are having. We are using as few tankers as possible, keeping them out of the town when possible and have asked driver to obey a strict 20mph speed limit.
“Work to the river bank is also progressing and we hope that a temporary pipe we are laying, while also commencing the longer term permanent fix will be approved shortly and will soon negate the need for the tankers altogether.
“Our Customer Service team remain in the area to answer any questions so please do take the opportunity to come at speak with us if you can, details of times and locations can be found on our social media pages.”
More details can be found at www.southernwater.co.uk/a256-sewer-repairs
Diversion – Take the exit to Ramsgate Road and follow round on to Monks Way up to the roundabout.
More than £30 million has been spent on renovating Thanet’s sewers in the last five years,
